Method and system for preventing vehicle thefts

ABSTRACT

A method for preventing vehicle thefts, the method comprising: at least one insurance company encouraging vehicle owners to install a vehicle theft prevention system in a vehicle by providing incentives to the vehicle owners having installed the system, the vehicle theft prevention system comprising a plurality of signal emitting devices placed among various parts of the vehicle; the insurance company mandating vendors wishing to do business with the insurance company to install readers for receiving signals from the plurality of signal emitting devices and transferring reader data to a central location; and correlating the information being processed by the readers with a central database to identify vehicles that have been reported stolen.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 10/612,879, filed on Jul. 7, 2003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of vehicle theft. More specifically,it relates to a method and system for dissuading vehicle thieves fromstealing a vehicle and encouraging vehicle owners to adopt the methodand system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Even with the advent of several new technologies in the vehicle trackingand theft prevention arena, vehicle theft is still on the rise. Vehicletracking does not stop the theft from occurring nor does it serve as amajor deterrent. The overwhelming majorities of conventional anti-theftdevices are easily removable or bypassed and thus offer little or nodeterrence to a thief.

Tracking systems are all “hard wired” to the vehicle in which they areinstalled thus limiting the places in which they can be hidden andmaking them vulnerable to being discovered, deactivated and or removed.Also, because they rely on radio frequencies and operate using 2-waycommunication they can easily be detected and “jammed”, or renderedinoperable with well-known devices such as frequency jammers.

For their part, more traditional systems such as audible alarms orignition kill systems are very easily by-passed. These systems are also“hard wired” to the vehicle's power source and can be by-passed when athief disables the vehicle's main power source and uses an alternateone. The wires leading to a siren on an audible alarm system can easilybe located and cut prior to setting off the alarm when attempting tosteal the vehicle. Also the public has grown more and more immune to thesound of a vehicle alarm because of the so-called “false alarm syndrome”thus giving thieves even more reaction time.

Conventional systems as described above have had little or no positiveeffect on theft caused by customer or owner fraud. Statistics show thatapproximately 15% to 20% of vehicle thefts are related to fraud. Thecustomer or owner benefits from having plenty of time to clear thevehicle of any security systems before he or she attempts to report thevehicle as being stolen or missing.

Furthermore, as electrical systems found in vehicles become increasinglycomplex and sensitive, consumers and vehicle manufactures are becomingincreasingly weary of these “hard wired” systems due to the fact thattheir interaction with the vehicle circuits can cause several malfunctions. In some cases the installation of “hard wired” systems caneven void certain vehicle manufacturer warranties. As for traditionaltransponder systems they operate at very limited ranges and can only beused in a very specific area such as a room or doorway.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicletheft prevention system that will overcome the drawbacks of the state ofthe art.

Another object of the present invention is to deter thieves fromstealing vehicles.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a system thatwill be advantageous for all parties involved in the vehicle industry.

According to a first broad aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a method for locating stolen vehicles, the method comprising:providing each of the vehicles with a plurality of signal emittingdevices, each of the plurality of signal emitting devices beingindependent of the vehicle's power source and camouflaged among thevehicles' various parts; registering each of the vehicles in a centraldatabase; placing readers for receiving signals from the plurality ofsignal emitting devices at a plurality of locations in a geographicalarea; connecting the readers to a network having a central location suchthat all information being processed by the readers is transferred toand accessible by the central location; and correlating the informationbeing processed by the readers with the central database to identifyvehicles that have been reported stolen.

Preferably, the signal emitting devices operate at differentfrequencies, at varying signal strengths, and at different emittingtimes.

According to a second broad aspect of the present invention, a systemfor preventing vehicle theft, the system comprising: a plurality ofsignal emitting devices placed and camouflaged among various parts of avehicle, each of the plurality of signal emitting devices beingindependent of the vehicle's power source; readers placed at a pluralityof locations in a geographical area and connected to a network having acentral location, the readers receiving signals from the plurality ofsignal emitting devices and transferring reader data to the centrallocation; and a central database at the central location comprisingregistration data for each vehicle equipped with the signal emittingdevices, and whereby the central database is correlated with the readerdata to identify vehicles that have been stolen.

Preferably, the readers are placed in scrap yards, ports, body shops,overnight parking lots, and border crossings and are positioned to scanall vehicles which enter and leave an enclosed area.

According to a third broad aspect of the invention, there is provided amethod for preventing vehicle thefts, the method comprising: at leastone insurance company encouraging vehicle owners to install a vehicletheft prevention system in a vehicle by providing incentives to thevehicle owners having installed the system, the vehicle theft preventionsystem comprising a plurality of signal emitting devices placed amongvarious parts of the vehicle; the insurance company mandating vendorswishing to do business with the insurance company to install readers forreceiving signals from the plurality of signal emitting devices andtransferring reader data to a central location; and correlating theinformation being processed by the readers with a central database toidentify vehicles that have been reported stolen.

Preferably, the insurance company does not do business with vendorswhich are not equipped with the readers, and provides incentives such asrebates to its customers to use the vehicle theft prevention system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method for locating stolen vehicles;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for preventing vehicle theft; and

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a system for preventing vehicletheft.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Throughout this application, the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention will be referred to as a “TAG” system. A TAG is to beunderstood as a signal emitting device that is placed within variousparts of a vehicle. The signal is emitted for the purpose oftransmitting information to a receiving entity. In one embodiment, theTAGs emit signals at regular or irregular intervals without beingprompted to do so. In another embodiment, the TAGs will emit signals asa result of having received a prompt from either a TAG reader or thenetwork with which the system works. It is also possible to have TAGsthat emit signals without the prompt, but can also receive a requestfrom a TAG reader or the network to emit at a particular point in timeand emit in response to that request.

Unlike conventional anti-theft devices, the TAG system is virtuallyimpossible to completely remove or bypass. The TAGs are stand-alone anddo not need to be wired to the vehicle's power source. They can alsooperate at multiple frequencies, making it virtually impossible todetect the multiple TAGs installed in a vehicle. It is also impossibleto jam the TAGs in a vehicle because they do not rely on a network totransmit. The TAG system can still operate as efficiently even if onlyone TAG remains in the vehicle. The TAG system has a substantial impacton deterring potential thefts due to its use of multiple TAGs that canbe hidden in thousands of different locations throughout the vehicle.This includes locations that are virtually impossible to reach once theTAGs are dropped into an opening. The TAGs can also be affixed to thevehicle in such a way that an attempted removal of it causes damage tothe vehicle. The TAG system can operate on a large geographical scaledue to the fact that TAG readers can be located in virtually any areawhere vehicles circulate and can also be portable. The TAGs operate atvery long ranges and can be read from long distances by the readers.

Scanning a vehicle should be understood to mean receiving and readingdata being emitted by said signal emitting devices.

The outlined process for the TAG system is as follows. Major insurancecompanies mandate their customers to use the TAGs in their vehicles andalso mandate the vendors that they do business with to use the TAGreaders. Part vendors and body shops must use the TAG readers and be TAGcertified as mandated by the major insurance companies in order to beauthorized to sell to them. The demand for stolen vehicles and or stolenparts from the part vendors or body shops will then be dramaticallyreduced. Having witnessed the reduction in demand for stolen parts andor vehicles the thieves will in turn stay away from vehicles that areclearly identified as being equipped with the TAG system. Theimpossibility of completely removing or by-passing the TAGs in avehicle, coupled with the dramatic drop in demand from illegal channels,will serve to deter thieves and substantially reduce vehicle theftoverall.

The TAG system is comprised of a variable amount of transceivers and/ortransponders and/or transmitters (TAGs), fixed and/or mobile electronicTAG readers and several identifying apparatuses such as warning labelsor stickers.

The TAGs are installed or hidden within the vehicle to be protected.They are installed in such a manner that they are very difficult to findand virtually impossible to remove. In some cases, removal of the TAGwould damage the part of the vehicle to which it is attached. The TAGscan be camouflaged by way of color matching their exterior to thevehicle's body color or by emulating a vehicle component usually foundon the vehicle. The TAGS can be installed in the vehicle or affixedthereto in a variety of ways. They can be affixed using epoxy compounds,magnets, Velcro™, industrial tape, etc. The method used depends on thenature of the surface to which the TAG is affixed. Additionally, the TAGcan be dropped into crevasses of the various parts of the vehicle, suchas in between a door panel and the door to which the panel is attached.

The TAGs have the capability of transmitting information using multiplefrequencies and signal strengths, as well as transmitting at varyingtimes. They are also stand-alone in nature, i.e. they do not need to behard-wired to the vehicle for power.

The TAG readers have various embodiments. They can be fixed or mobile innature. Fixed TAG readers would generally be used in buildings or onexterior posts and so on. Mobile TAG readers would generally be used forsurveying areas and or locations and could also be used by persons thatare moving from location to location. The TAG readers could also have adisplay so that the user could read the information being read by thereader. For example, in the case of an automobile, the readers would beplaced at locations such as ports, scrap yards, automotive partsresellers, body shops etc. The TAG readers would then display vehicleand or vehicle parts information being received from any TAGs found inand around that location. Alternatively, the readers do not display anyinformation but simply transmit it directly to a central database.

The TAG system flow is as follows. Following the purchase of a TAGsystem the installation is done in the customer's vehicle followed by acustomer registration in the database. Information such as year, make,color and model of the vehicle is part of the information contained inthe registration.

Based on the proof of purchase the customer will benefit from a rebateand or credit from their insurance provider. The insurance company mayprovide additional incentive for installing the system, such asinstallation free of cost or the actual system free of cost.

TAG Readers are installed in strategic locations and or geographicalareas such as salvage yards, body shops, garages, vehicle part vendorsand so on. These various locations must be “TAG Certified” to become a“preferred” supplier or service provider to a member insurance company.In order for a location to be certified a verification of the readerinstallation must be done. This verification can be done by TAGpersonnel. The certified installation must be done in such a way as tomake sure that all the vehicles and or parts that transit trough thelocation are automatically read with no exception.

TAG readers are updated with “flagged” vehicle identification numbers(VINs). In the event that a reader receives a flagged VIN from a TAG, itsends a notification to the central. Parts and/or vehicles are thenseized or refused. The central then communicates with the locationand/or law enforcement if applicable. The TAG readers can also sendrequests for information at any time.

In order to maintain transmission costs between the readers and thecentral to a minimum, the central database containing all the VINs willbe updated with theft notifications. Once a day, or at any given time,the central database will update all of the readers via a wirelessnetwork, and/or various other means, with a list of VINs that areflagged as being stolen. The readers will then use this lookup table tocorrelate any VINs that they receive from TAGs. If a reader receives aVIN from a TAG that is indexed in its lookup table as being stolen, itwill then send a notification to the central requesting that furtheraction is taken.

In order for a location to sell to or be reimbursed for labor, parts orvehicles by any member insurance company it must be TAG Certified.Therein lies the incentive for a given location to be TAG Certified.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of locating stolen vehicles.A first step is to provide vehicles with signal emitting devices 20. Thesignal emitting devices are independent of the vehicle's power sourceand are camouflaged among the vehicle's various parts so as not to beeasy to locate. The next step is to register each vehicle having thesignal emitting devices in a central database 22. Readers that receivesignals from the signal emitting devices are placed in a plurality oflocations within a geographical area 24. Each reader is connected to anetwork such that all information read and processed by the readers istransferred to and accessible by a central location 26. The informationtransferred to the central location is then correlated with theinformation in the central database to determine if a vehicle indexed asstolen was read by any of the readers 28.

In the event that a flagged VIN is identified by a reader, there areseveral actions that may be taken 29. TAG assistance may be requestedand provided at the location of the reader having identified the flaggedVIN. Alternatively, the parts or vehicle may be seized on the spotpending further investigation. Any transactions involving the parts orvehicle having a flagged VIN are immediately halted. Another alternativeis that an enforcement agency, such as the police, is automaticallynotified of the positive identification of the flagged VIN and thatagency proceeds according to its own procedures.

A reader may be passive or active. For example, active readers can havea display that indicates that a flagged VIN has been scanned. Passivereaders can simply relay the information to the central and it is thepolice or the TAG system managers that will be informed that a reader ata specific location has identified a flagged VIN. Since the readeritself may or may not indicate that a positive identification hasoccurred, the immediate actions that can be taken at the location of thereader is a function of what type of reader is present.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of preventing vehiclethefts. At least one insurance company encourages vehicle owners toinstall a vehicle theft prevention system in a vehicle by providingincentives to the vehicle owners having installed the system 30. Theincentives can vary, but can include such advantages as preferentialrates on an insurance premium, free installation of the vehicle theftprevention system, or even providing the vehicle theft prevention systemfree of cost. In any case, the vehicle theft prevention system comprisesa plurality of signal emitting devices placed among various parts ofsaid vehicle. The insurance company mandates vendors wishing to dobusiness with them to install readers for receiving signals from theplurality of signal emitting devices and for transferring reader data toa central location 32. The information being processed by the readers isthen correlated with a central database to identify vehicles that havebeen reported stolen 34. In order to encourage vendors to install thereaders, the insurance company can refuse to do business with any vendorwho refuses to install the readers. The vendors can be garages, scrapyards, used car dealerships, etc.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the system for preventing vehicletheft, according to a preferred embodiment. A plurality of readers R1,R2, R3, . . . RN, are provided in a large geographical area A1. Avehicle V1 is equipped with a plurality of signal emitting devices (X).Each of the readers are connected to a network 36, which is used totransfer reader data to a central location. The network 36 can be anetwork already in place, such as existing wireless networkinfrastructures or existing Telemetry networks. The central locationcomprises a central database 38 having registration data RD_(V1),RD_(V2), . . . RD_(VN) corresponding to each vehicle equipped with thesignal emitting devices. The central database 38 is correlated with thereader data to identify stolen vehicles. Additionally, various agenciessuch as the police 40, insurance companies 42, or part vendors 44 canaccess the database 24 hours a day in order to retrieve information orinput data into the database, such as flags for stolen VINs.Essentially, any agency which would have a use for the database can beauthorized access thereto. The access is to be controlled in order toavoid tampering with the information in the database.

The readers R1, R2, R3, . . . , RN may also communicate with each other,as well as communicate with the central database 38 through the network36. Two-way communications of all of the entities in the system is alsopossible. In some instances, the central database 38 will receiveinformation from the readers R1, R2, R3, . . . , RN through the network36 while in other instances, it will send information to the readers R1,R2, R3, . . . , RN through the network 36. The TAGs themselves are alsocapable of two-way communication with the readers, i.e. they can sendand receive data.

Updating of the database is necessary for vehicles that have body partsthat are legally changed from one vehicle to another. The updating ofthe database can be done by anyone who is authorized for such aprocedure.

While there are readers that are fixed and readers that are mobile, suchas handheld readers for scanning purposes by law enforcement personnel,the fixed readers are capable of periodically verifying their ownlocation to ensure that they have not been moved. This can be done byhaving the readers use a TAG placed in the near vicinity of the readeras a reference point. The strength of the signal received from thereference TAG will be an indication of the proximity of the reader tothe reference point. The central system can periodically poll thevarious fixed readers in order to verify that their specific locationshave not changed. Alternatively, the readers can independently verifytheir location and only send information to the central in the case of adiscrepancy.

The difficulty of detecting the TAGs in a vehicle can be increased byhaving a number of functioning and a number of non-functioning devicesin a single vehicle. Preferably, all major body parts of a vehicle areequipped with a TAG. Furthermore, while some TAGs are set to emit at arelatively high frequency, such as once every few minutes, others willonly emit at a very low frequency, such as once every few hours. Thiswill also discourage a car thief from sitting next to a vehicle andattempting to detect all possible TAGs within it.

In a preferred embodiment, there are at least two TAGs in each vehiclethat is set to transmit only in response to a request from a reader. Inorder to avoid interference between the data being transmitted by afirst TAG and the data being transmitted by a second TAG, the two TAGsare set to transmit at different times in response to the request. Forexample, the first TAG is set to transmit immediately upon reception ofthe request, whereas the second TAG is set to transmit after a delay ofa fixed amount of milliseconds. The delay imposed on the second TAGshould be sufficient to allow the reader to receive the data from thefirst TAG and then receive the data from the second TAG. It should beappreciated that if more than two TAGs are installed in a vehicle thatrespond to a request, multiple delays will be set to allow each TAG totransmit its data without interfering with data from another TAG.

It will be understood that numerous modifications thereto will appear tothose skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description andaccompanying drawings should be taken as illustrative of the inventionand not in a limiting sense. It will further be understood that it isintended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the inventionfollowing, in general, the principles of the invention and includingsuch departures from the present disclosure as come within known orcustomary practice within the art to which the invention pertains and asmay be applied to the essential features herein before set forth, and asfollows in the scope of the appended claims.

1. A method for preventing vehicle thefts, the method comprising: atleast one insurance company encouraging vehicle owners to install avehicle theft prevention system in a vehicle by providing incentives tosaid vehicle owners having installed said system, said vehicle theftprevention system comprising a plurality of signal emitting devicesplaced among various parts of said vehicle; said insurance companymandating vendors wishing to do business with said insurance company toinstall readers for receiving signals from said plurality of signalemitting devices and transferring reader data to a central location; andcorrelating said information being processed by said readers with acentral database to identify vehicles that have been reported stolen. 2.A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said providing incentivescomprises offering preferential insurance rates to said vehicle ownershaving installed said vehicle theft prevention system.
 3. A method asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one insurance company providesa free installation of said vehicle theft prevention system.
 4. A methodas claimed in claims 1, wherein said at least one insurance companyprovides said vehicle theft prevention system free of cost to saidvehicle owners.
 5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at leastone insurance company refuses to do business with vendors who do notinstall said readers.
 6. A method as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising indicating on vehicles having been installed with saidvehicle theft prevention system the presence of said system.
 7. A methodas claimed in claim 1, wherein said database is updated to associate avehicle part with a vehicle when a part legally changes owner.
 8. Amethod as claimed in claim 1, wherein said vendors are TAG certified byTAG personnel to ensure that said readers are positioned in a manner toscan all vehicles which enter said vendors' area of business.